NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fort Towson, OK
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fort Towson, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Fort Towson
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fort Towson; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Fort Towson begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Fort Towson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site. The strongest of the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 2, 1982; its path came within 3 miles. Of the 63, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 100% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fort Towson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fort Towson.
Compare Fort Towson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fort Towson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1918 | Unnamed 1918 stormAug 7 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fort Towson: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fort Towson
By decade
- 2020s6(1 EF3+)
- 2010s10
- 2000s10
- 1990s8
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s7(3 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1982 | F5 | 3 mi | 53 mi | 0 / 29 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF4 | 4 mi | 44.71 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 4, 1960 | F4 | 20 mi | 30.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 1969 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1961 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 22, 2020 | EF2 | 15 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 12, 2015 | EF2 | 8 mi | 7.32 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 14, 2003 | F2 | 11 mi | 78.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 2000 | F2 | 16 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 2000 | F2 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fort Towson
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of Fort Towson since 1962, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 3, 1964. The most recent report is from June 26, 2023. March and June have the most reports, 12 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fort Towson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Antlers, OK, 24 miles northwest of Fort Towson at 470 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 29°F. May is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 73 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 71 nights a year. That 48.2 inches is more than at 75 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (91%). Valliant, 10 miles east, has its own station (Idabel, OK): 54.6 inches a year, 6.4 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 29 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Feb | 57 | 33 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 4.4 | 6 |
| May | 80 | 59 | 6.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jul | 93 | 71 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Aug | 93 | 69 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Sep | 86 | 62 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 4.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 55 | 31 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 48.2 | 64 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Antlers, OK (470 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Fort Towson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 84 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fort Towson: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 27, 1997. March has had the most flash floods, 5 of 22. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than Fort Towson.
October 21, 2019: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Fort Towson — 1 killed, 1 injured.
June 14, 2008: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Fort Towson — $480,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm wind gusts measured to at least 75 mph damaged a power plant near Fort Towson.”
March 18, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Fort Towson — $300,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Choctaw County, which includes Fort Towson, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on July 19, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Choctaw County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.2 million a year, the 57th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.3 million (25%), is from tornadoes.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Fort Towson
- Valliant, OK10 mi
- Hugo, OK15 mi
- Powderly, TX22 mi
- Antlers, OK24 mi
- Detroit, TX26 mi
- Broken Bow, OK27 mi
- Blossom, TX27 mi
- Idabel, OK27 mi
- Paris, TX32 mi
- Clarksville, TX32 mi
- Boswell, OK35 mi
- Sumner, TX36 mi
All Oklahoma cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Fort Towson with another place →